FILE - A Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2016 file photo of Kenya's Vice President William Ruto addressing the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly, at U.N. headquarters. Kenyan media are reporting that unknown gunmen have attacked the house of Kenya's deputy president moments after he left Saturday, July 29, 2017, to campaign with the president for re-election in the Aug. 8 vote. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

Kenyan police: Man with machete attacks VP Ruto's home

By TOM ODULA

Jul. 29, 2017

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A lone man armed with a machete attacked and wounded a guard at the home of Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto then entered the compound, Kenya's police chief said Saturday.

Specialist forces were deployed to find the intruder, who hid in an unfinished building, police chief Joseph Boinnet said in a statement. It was not clear what happened to the man. Calls to Boinnet's spokesman went unanswered.

According to Capital FM Radio, unknown gunmen struck the home around noon Saturday, moments after Ruto left to campaign with the president for re-election in the Aug. 8 vote. The residence was near Eldoret, a town 194 miles (312 kilometers) northwest of Nairobi.

Analysts have been worried about violence around the election and the Islamist extremist group Al-Shabab recently threatened to disrupt the vote.

Al-Shabab has carried out more than 100 attacks in Kenya since 2011 in retribution for the country sending troops in to Somalia, where the extremists are based.